DSi Accessories Buyer's Guide

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All the new gear for Nintendo's latest handheld.

By Chris Iaquinta

It's butt imprint just barely started to show on store shelves before it began to rack up the sales, so it's becoming quite apparent that Nintendo has another winner on their hands with the Nintendo DSi. With great gaming systems comes great accessories, and as expected the third-party gear for Nintendo's latest handheld is starting to pile up. Need some help sorting through the L337 from the meh? Here is IGN's DSi Buyer's Guide -- twice as filling, but with half the calories.

18-in-1 Starter Kit

At first glance this does kind of come off as one of those TV-only offers where you get a million items for like two bucks, but upon second look, the offer is legit. The Nintendo DSi 18-in-1 Starter Kit by Dream Gear offers a ridiculous, yet useful amount of swag designed to get you rolling legit from the get go with your new handheld system.

Check out this list of insanity: Charging dock, carrying case, USB SD card reader, car charger, earbuds, audio splitter, three screen cleaners, two sets of screen protectors, tote bag, two styluses, three game cases, a wrist strap and a partridge in a pear tree. WHEW! What else could you possibly need? The best part, of course, is the price. This treasure chest of DSi gear (available in black, white, pink or blue) can be yours for just $24.99, easily making it a must have for practically all owners of the newest from Nintendo.

Pre-order it now over at Amazon.com.DSi Folio Starter KitLooking to spend a quarter of a c-note but want something a little more formal looking than that 18-in-1 package? Look for further than the Folio Starter Kit from BD&A. The flagship of this offering is the black faux-leather mini folio case, which lets you transport your DSi around in Beverly Hills-esque snobbery, all the while providing multiple pockets for games and accessories to boot.

Gear also found in the kit includes an ABS plastic car adapter, three ABS-styli, plastic earbuds, and high-grade screen protectors. Why nab this one over the 18-in-1 or vice versa? Well, it comes down to which case you prefer and just how attractive you want your DSi package to look to potential muggers as you play games on the subway at 2 a.m. Just don't forget to pack your Nintendo-brand mace.

The Folio Starter kit carries an MSRP's of $24.99 and can be pre-ordered right now at Amazon.com.

DSi Screen Protective Filter and Stylus Kit

You've got to love gamers. For some reason we have no problem dropping a few hundred bucks on a quality handheld system, and then completely neglect spending the extra cash on protective filters for the screen. Do yourself a favor and up the IQ a little this season by picking up some protection for your DSi, and if Trojan doesn't have a condom that fits, try the Screen Protective Filter & Stylus Kit from Hori.

Officially licensed by Nintendo, the kit is a dirt-cheap way to get your hands on some great, clear filters for your system, and a fancy-smancy stylus pen as well. The cool features begin and end there, but spend enough time smudging and scratching the hell out of old handhelds and you'll see why less is more in this case. You're wallet won't even notice the missing $10.00 (it retails for $9.99), and your DSi will thank you, though not with sex, not until marriage.

Get your hands on the DSi Screen Protective Filter and Stylus Kit here.DSi System WalletLarge game cases are cool, but if we wanted to look like one of the women from Sex in the City while carrying around our little DSi tote bag, we'd change our name to Samantha and move to New York. For a subtler approach, you might want to consider the System Wallet from BD&A, a DSi case that goes completely bare minimum on the details and features, but gets the job done.

The contemporary foldover design is kind of neat, plus it is also capable of carrying up to three games, though the part in the product description about it "providing fast access to your DSi when you need it" made us chuckle. When you need it? What, like when we get held up at a ATM and we need to draw our DSi out at blazing speed? Sheesh, it is just a video game system, people. With a price tag of $9.99, the System Wallet provides the ultimate cheap solution for DSi transportation, unless you rather just wrap it in a old shirt and be off on your merry way, Francis.

Travel across a rougher road than most and need some extra protection for your DSi? TeknoCreations has heard the call for a more rugged DSi case and just recently unveiled their TekCase, which amps up the armor for your system at just the cost of a slightly bulkier overall package.

Protective duties aren't the only responsibilities of the TekCase though, as the shell itself acts as a battery pack for the DSi, which can extend your playtime between charges up to 250%. The TekCase charges using a standard USB cable, and it'll also charge the DSi at the same time. Ideal for when you need to pack away the unit during long journeys, the TekCase, available in black or pink, is a good idea for the non-gentle gamer.

Looking to stand out from the crowd a little with your DSi case? Thrustmaster might be the answer to your problem as they just recently rolled out not one but three different types of cases for Nintendo's latest. Stepping up to the plate first are the Thrustmaster Metal Cases, which look dead sexy thanks to their five different color schemes, all of which shine brighter than male pattern baldness. The metal editions offer decent protection and connectivity options, all without requiring removal from the case.

Next in line is the T-Crystal Case and Tray, which not only features a hard plastic protective shell for the DSi, but also a built-in drawer that slides out and can store up to three games and a extra stylus. Don't need the tray? Grab the T-Crystal Case and Stylus model instead, which gives you all the advantages of a strong and sturdy shell without the extra clutter of the storage bin.

The Metal Cases, the T-Crystal Case & Tray and the T-Crystal Case & Stylus will be available in May at the suggested retail prices of $12.99, $9.99 and $8.99, respectively, at the Thrustmaster website.DSi Car AdapterPersonally, we can't stand the long commute to the IGN offices every day, which is normally why we spend most of our time playing Tap Tap on our iPhones while looking for police in the rear view mirror. We think its time to up the illegal activity though, which is why we need a way of plugging and playing our DSi's as we speed down the freeway, a quick and simple solution provided by the BD&A Car Adapter.

This thing isn't exactly rocket surgery or brain science. You plug the fat end into your car outlet and the other side into your DSi and ta-da, instant felony. Considering the $9.99 price tag however, you might want to think about dropping the extra coin on one of the previously mentioned super packages, which come with a car adapter of their own, plus tons more gear. But if you wanna go all rebel on us and buy everything a la carte, the DSi Car Adapter from BD&A does as advertised.

No more messing around kiddies, it is time to break out the official gear. Looking for ways to enhance the two-player aspect of some of their more popular multiplayer DSi games, Nintendo developed the Official DS Headset, which allows two players to converse with each other in the middle of a game.

Unlike the racist, hate spewing verbal sparring we endure (and love) on unfiltered chat services like Xbox LIVE, you must have each other's friend codes registered in order to talk to a specific player with this unit. This way your 8-year old nephew can chat with his best friend during a playful match of Pokemon, and not get thundered down by unsolicited Nazi propaganda. It'll cost you $14.99, but voice chat is what really drives the multiplayer experience nowadays, so we say the investment is well worth it.

For every pro package released, there is the budget equivalent, and in the DSi world, the CTA Microphone Headset is the Yin to the Official Nintendo Headset's Yang. Built with simplicity in mind, the set allows users to communicate with other kindred souls across the Nintendo Wi-Fi network. Setup is accomplished at lightning speeds, and the mic is easily adjustable for optimal placement.

Is there any real reason to not spend the extra six bucks to get the official headset? Not really, unless you have an issue with directly padding the pockets of Satoru Iwata. Still, there's always that league of gamers out there that just want what works, not always what looks the best. In that case, this headset is for you, losers.

The CTA Microphone Headset retails for $8.99 and can be purchased here.